Trucks are designed to carry cargo, or articles of many different sizes, shapes and numbers. However, small and/or lightweight articles placed in the bed of a truck, such articles are prone to movement during operation of the truck. In addition, articles placed in the bed of the truck are exposed to view and the environment, leading to the possibility of theft, damage, etc.
To address this concern, numerous enclosures, such as tool boxes, as well as cargo nets and other compartment dividers, have been designed to prevent movement of articles disposed within a truck bed as well as to cover and lockably secure the articles in the truck bed when not in use.
In the case of tool boxes, the tool boxes are typically mounted at the forward end of the truck bed immediately behind the cab. Such tool boxes have one or more pivotal covers or lids which may pivot upward from a horizontal pivot extending laterally across the truck bed or up from the side about a centrally located hinge extending along the longitudinal center line of the truck bed.
While such tool boxes securely retain tools and other objects within a truck bed from movement and theft, access to all interior portions of the tool box is limited, due to the size, namely height and width of most truck beds. In fact, the only practical way to access all portions of a tool box mounted in a truck bed behind the truck cab, is to climb up onto the truck bed and walk the length of the truck bed to the tool box. This becomes a tiresome task for workers who frequently access a truck mounted tool box many times each work day.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a truck bed storage apparatus which contains and secures articles from movement and theft. It would also be desirable to provide a truck bed storage receptacle which is capable of movement between a lower, storage position and a raised or elevated position facilitating easy access to all interior portion of the apparatus storage compartment. It would also be desirable to provide a truck bed storage apparatus in which the individual storage compartment(s) can be removed or to a smaller volume to enable cargo to be placed in the truck bed. It would also be desirable to provide a truck bed storage receptacle which can be incorporated with a tonneau cover.